Highlights Of The Honourable Minister, Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani Activities (July 8 – 12)
Dr Tunbosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
Last week, from Monday, July 8 to Friday, July 12, 2024, was marked with numerous engagements that needed the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Tunbosun Tijani to be in attendance.
During the week under review, amongst other key engagements, the Honourable Minister attended the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference 2024, co-hosted by the Ministry.
During the weeklong conference, which attracted public and private sector stakeholders in the EdTech industry across Africa, he highlighted the strategic importance of partnerships, inclusivity, investments, and capacity & infrastructure development towards achieving holistic growth in Africa’s digital economy.
The key focus of the conference was on infrastructure development, knowledge sharing or capacity development through education.
Dr. Tijani said “When strategically balanced with infrastructure development, capacity development through education remains a key driver for growth.
“This informed the collaboration between the Ministry and the Mastercard Foundation to organise the inaugural EdTech Conference in Abuja, bringing together various stakeholders across the continent to deliberate on issues around building a resilient and inclusive learning ecosystem.
Monday:
The Honourable Minister kicked off his work week by attending the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference 2024 at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Themed, ‘Education Technology for Resilient and Inclusive Learning in Africa,’ the 3-day conference highlighted the need to leverage technology to promote inclusive education across the continent, supporting Africa’s burgeoning youth population. His first activity at the conference was a panel session titled, ‘Strategic Collaboration for Inclusive EdTech Innovation: Fostering Learning Opportunities for all!’, where he spoke on the importance of inclusivity, collaboration, training & capacity development, and internet connectivity in driving productivity among citizens and growing our digital economy. The panel session, which was moderated by Rosy Fynn, Country Director Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, had other panellists including Joseph Nsengimana, Director, Mastercard Foundation, and Hon. Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary, Association for the Development of Education in Africa.
He then hosted in his office, Jennifer Adighije, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Entrepreneurship Development in Communication, Innovation & Digital Economy, to explore areas of collaboration towards transforming Nigeria’s digital economy.
After this, he had a virtual meeting with representatives of Endeavor, a global community of high-impact entrepreneurs. Discussions at the meeting centred on infrastructure development, investment & taxation, and training & capacity development. The Endeavor team was represented by Linda Rottenberg, Co-Founder and CEO, Endeavor; Bolaji Balogun, CEO, Chapel Hill Denham & Chairman, Endeavor Nigeria Board of Directors; Ireayomide Oladunjoye, Managing Director and CEO, Endeavor Nigeria; Christian Wessels, CEO, Daystar Power & Endeavor Nigeria Board Director; Sari El-Khalil, Chief Transformation Officer, SevenUp Bottling Company & Endeavor Nigeria Board Director; Derin Adebayo, Manager, Entrepreneur Selection, Endeavor Global; Joy Mabia, Manager, Marketing and Communications, Endeavor Nigeria.
Tuesday:
Dr. Tijani hosted in his office, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, Director-General, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), to discuss areas of collaboration between the Ministry and the Commission, especially around their work in developing a holistic Digital ID system for Nigerians.
Following this meeting, he headed to Transcorp Hilton Abuja to attend Day 2 of the Mastercard EdTech Conference 2024 where he spoke in a panel session themed, ‘Building Tomorrow’s Education: Infrastructure Requirements for an EdTech Ecosystem in Africa.’ The panel, which was moderated by Rodwell Mangisi, had other panellists including Didier Nkurikiyimfura, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, SMART Africa, and Robert Hawkins, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank Group.
He then attended the first stakeholder engagement session for the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill where he joined Sen. Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity, and Hon. Stanley Adedeji Olajide, Chairman of the House Committee on Digital and Information Communication Technology, to address a cross-section of the media. The session marks the kick-off of a nationwide consultation process in support of the passing of the Bill which is set to enhance the use of digital technology to support the growth and transformation of Nigeria’s economy through the application of digital technology.
Dr. Tijani attended the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on the Implementation of the Livestock Reforms at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Committee, which was inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has the mandate to address obstacles to agricultural productivity and open up new opportunities which benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain.
Wednesday:
The Honourable Minister met with the team from ATC Nigeria to discuss areas of partnership, especially for the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme. The ATC Nigeria team was represented by Joseph Myapurgi, Regional Regulatory Manager; Jared Mballo, Zonal Regulatory Manager; and Chinwe Odigboegwu, Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.
He then headed to the Presidential Villa to attend the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He later joined the opening sessions of the Mastercard Foundation Ministerial Forum on EdTech in Africa where he spoke to fellow Ministers and government officials across Africa on the intricacies of harnessing the power of ICT to transform education systems.
Thursday:
Dr. Tijani attended Day 2 of the Mastercard Foundation Ministerial Forum on EdTech in Africa where he spoke on a discussion panel themed, ‘Data, Policy, and Infrastructure’. He was joined on the panel by Hendrina Doroba, Manager for Education and Skills Development, African Development Bank; Albert Nsengiyumva, Executive Secretary, of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA); and Tracey Shiundu, Co-Founder and CEO, FunKe Science. It was moderated by Suraj Shah, Head, Strategic Partnerships and Thought Leadership, Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning.
He later met with Simon Melchoir, CEO of software technology company, Asseco, to discuss the work of the company in Nigeria, and also identify areas of collaboration between it and the Ministry, particularly in the agriculture sector.
The Honourable Minister commissioned the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Centre of Excellence in Abuja. Powered by the global technology company, Nokia, the facility will provide Nigerians with technical and vocational skills to support the digital economy. The project follows Dr. Tijani’s extended engagement with government officials and other international partners during his recent visit to Nokia’s home country, Finland.
Friday:
The Honourable Minister received updates from Engr. Salisu Kaka, Director, Digital Economy, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), on preparations and activities towards the G20 Summit scheduled for November in Brazil.
He then received another update from the NITDA team on the portal for IT Service Providers which is currently under review. The team also shared challenges and next steps as regards linking the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) APIs. The NITDA team had in attendance, Usman Gambo Abdullahi, Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions Department; Oladejo Olawumi, IT Infrastructure Solutions Department; and Dr. Dimie Wariowei, Director, eGovernment Development and Regulation (eGDR).
Dr. Tijani met with Niklas Gunnebrant, Deputy CEO of IST Group, who made a presentation on the features of the company’s government education platform. Following his presentation, the Honourable Minister gave feedback, highlighting the importance of an interoperable system which enables authorised users to share data in a secure and efficient manner.
